1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to surgical jaws for grasping and sealing tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical tool assemblies for coagulating and cutting tissue, such as blood vessels, have greatly improved modern surgical techniques and are well known in the art. Such tool assemblies typically include a pair of jaws formed of wire for delivering electrical energy to the tissue, as shown in FIG. 2. The jaws each include a plurality of teeth for grasping the tissue and providing the energy to the tissue. A blade is often disposed adjacent to the jaws for cutting the tissue.
Unfortunately, such wire jaws have a short length, thus limiting the length of tissue coagulation. Furthermore, the curvature of the wires, i.e., the “humps” in the wire, commonly results in bulging of the tissue underneath the humps. Moreover, coagulation of the tissue disposed underneath these humps is usually poor and/or not complete.
The subject invention is directed toward these and other deficiencies of the prior art.